Ocean Park Campus
A Reggio-inspired preschool and TK on a full acre, with outdoor classrooms, an atelier, and small groups that grow together.
A historic elementary school, re-imagined for young learners
Situated on an acre, Growing Place re-imagined and revived an old elementary campus to its full potential for preschoolers and TK children. Six classrooms, including a part-time 2's program, an atelier, and a shared outdoor play space filled with nature contribute to our everyday experiences.
Find the right program for your child
From caregiver-and-child classes to our full-time preschool and TK, there's a place for every stage.
Parent & Me - Infants
A caregiver-and-child class where families play, connect and meet other families.
75 minutes · No drop-off
Join the interest list →Parent & Me - Toddlers
A caregiver-and-child class for walking, climbing, exploring toddlers and the adults who love them.
75 minutes · No drop-off
Join the interest list →Part-time 2's program
A gentle first step into school, with drop-off mornings in our classroom community.
* Enrollment in the Part-time 2’s program does not guarantee admission to GP.
Mon, Wed, Fri · 9 AM to 12 PM
Join the interest list →Preschool and TK
Our full-time program, with small stable groups that move through the years together.
Mon to Fri · 8 AM to 5 PM
Apply online →Parent & Me classes are attended by a caregiver and are not drop-off care. Ocean Park does not have an infant care program.
Learning Together
Each group of children and teachers moves through the years together, so relationships have time to deepen. In small groups, teachers and children come to know each other's strengths, interests, and needs.
We listen closely to children, observe their work, and document their ideas to understand how they think and to plan what comes next. Math, literacy, science, and engineering are woven into our days with intention and often studied through long-term projects that are hands-on experiences designed around what we see children exploring.
Outdoor Classrooms
Fruit trees draw pollinators and wildlife into our gardens, inviting children to observe, wonder, and build relationships with the natural world. Hills and varied terrain offer new textures and perspectives to investigate.
At our river spaces and mud kitchens, children experiment, test ideas, and discover together, with plenty of joy along the way.
Play and Explore
Preschool classics such as swing sets and tire swings are where our children love to swing, spin and soar! Children further develop motor skills through our tricycle path, hand-over-hand bars, and spinner.
Our outdoors support play, exploration, and adventurous risk-taking. It invites cooperation, negotiation, and social-emotional development while building confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired, hands-on experiences.
Indoor Classrooms
Our classrooms are large, bright, and airy, with natural light that invites children to explore paint, clay, wire, fabric, and thread.
Each room is built around a set of "rights," the materials and experiences we believe every child deserves: blocks, dramatic play, puzzles, developmental aids, practical life, sewing, and more. These materials are chosen with intention and offered openly, so children can test ideas, solve problems, and make their thinking visible.
Atelier
Our shared atelier is where children and teachers come together to research ideas and theories. Though beautifully designed, its real value is that it offers something different from the indoor and outdoor classrooms: a space for deep, sustained inquiry.
Materials are chosen and arranged with intention to invite children to ask questions, define problems, test solutions, and above all, imagine and experiment. Teachers observe and document this work, helping make children's thinking visible and guiding what we explore next.
Find Ocean Park
- 401 Ashland Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90405 - 310-399-7769
- oceanpark@growingplace.org
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Families join us from Venice, Mar Vista, Culver City, Playa Vista and Marina del Rey, as well as Santa Monica.
Frequently asked questions
What ages do you serve and what programming do you offer?
Ocean Park offers a program for each stage:
- 6 months to 1 year: a new Parent & Me program launching in 2027. Classes are 75 minutes with no drop-off.
- 1 to 2 years: a new Parent & Me program launching in 2027. Classes are 75 minutes with no drop-off.
- 2 years: a part-time program launching in February 2027, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 AM to 12 PM (drop-off).
- 2.5 to 6 years: a full-time preschool and TK program, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Apply online.
To join the interest list for the new programs, email oceanpark@growingplace.org.
What is the school calendar?
Our academic school year runs from August to mid-June, followed by summer camp from mid-June through July. Our annual tuition contract covers both, which makes it convenient for families to have a summer option. We close for four weeks a year, observe federal holidays, and hold staff development days.
How much time is spent outdoors?
Our campus sits on an acre of land, and children spend about 50% of their day outdoors. That includes small group work, mealtimes, open-ended play and community walks around our neighborhood.
Do you offer enrichment classes?
Yes. For additional fees, we offer classes such as basketball, tennis, soccer, hip hop, yoga, animal studies, musical instruments, literacy and math classes, social skills and more.
Do you celebrate holidays?
In keeping with our constructivist philosophy, we do not require all children to celebrate observed holidays. Instead, families with traditions and rituals that are meaningful to them are invited to share with their child's classroom in respectful and relevant ways.
What is your sibling policy?
We do not guarantee sibling enrollment, but we give strong preference to siblings, in line with our value of keeping families together. A sibling family has a currently enrolled child and another child who is eligible to join us. An alumni family is one that previously attended our programs. A legacy family is one where a parent attended our school and is now applying for their own child.
How can parents get involved?
Parent partnerships are a pillar of our schools, and many parents go above and beyond to support our mission. We ask every parent to give 10 hours of their time each year, per child, and to support our fundraising efforts. At the start of each year we survey enrolled families about their professional and personal gifts and talents, and we also offer parent education while children are with us.
How do you support Kindergarten readiness?
Social-emotional competence and self-regulation are two core skills that research shows prepare children well for kindergarten. In our classrooms this looks like play-based, project-driven learning rather than drills and recall. Teachers work with small groups to follow each child's development and encourage curiosity and critical thinking. A rich variety of materials lets children communicate and develop theories about their world. Literacy, math and science are woven into projects, so children gain skills because they are motivated to find and solve problems.
Plan your next step
Whether you are ready to visit or still comparing, here is where to go next.
Ready to join us?
Come see the gardens, classrooms and atelier for yourself. Book a free tour, then apply when you are ready. They are two separate steps, and we will guide you through both.